Staffordsville shanti yoga

Although the exact origins of yoga are unknown, it is thought to be about 5000 years old. The earliest indication of the practice can be traced to what is now known as Pakistan where stone sculptures of figures in poses and meditation were discovered. The earliest traces of written reference to yoga came about 3500 years ago in the form of the Vedas. The Vedas, also known as the Upanishads, spoke of yoga, sacrifice and ritual. They wrote, "When the five senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the path supreme." This calm steadiness of the senses is called yoga.

Hundreds of years passed and the Upanishads developed what is now known as the four schools of yoga. The first two schools are Karma Yoga (the path of action of the soul) and Jnana Yoga (yoga of the mind), both of which teach that the Ego or Self must be sacrificed to attain liberation. Karma Yoga is the path of selfless devotion and service. By performing actions with out wanting reward or payment, the Yogi tries to free himself from the seemingly endless wheel of births and deaths. Jnana Yoga is the path of intellectual knowledge and wisdom. This philosophical approach, demands the study of the Upanishads. The last two schools are Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. Bhakti Yoga the path of unconditional love and devotion, includes chanting and prayer which sublimate the emotions and channel them into devotion. Raja Yoga the path of meditation or mental control, is also seen as the scientific or step-by-step approach, hence it is also referred to as Ashtanga Yoga, another name for Raja Yoga, meaning 8-limbed or 8-stepped.